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Photo courtesy Ted Okoroji Enjoying Raven Writes DFW? Help us continue spotlighting the people, places, and creativity that make this metroplex unique. Every contribution helps sustain independent journalism and local storytelling. Make donations to $RaesViolet or Venmo @ Rae-Jordan. After a 24-day run from September 25 - October 18, the 140-year Texas tradition of the State Fair is over. This was my first year attempting to do onsite coverage of The State Fair of Texas. I've

Calamari and tuna and wonton chips appetizers at Docent Steak. It's time for another round of food news from openings to new dishes to what's coming soon around the city. There were some new additions to the Michelin guide in areas such as Fort Worth and Plano, but you can find out more about that elsewhere. In the meantime, take a look at this curated, quick list of restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth from Docent opening, a new The Henry at Legacy West, and a revolving sushi ba

The Shef Food + Wine Fest— from celebrity chef Tiffany Derry, business partner Tom Foley and their business T2D Concepts— is a culinary and beverage event drawing chefs, culinary enthusiasts, and your serious foodies out from around the country and beyond! This is the third annual festival. Here's how the festival went for Raven Writes DFW: Fireside Chat with Carla Hall and Kristen Kish took audience on a ride of experience, family, recipes, and what last made them cry I star

Dallas is making big moves in its global and economic standing, one way or another. The Oxford Economics 2026 Global Cities Index (GCI) ranked Dallas 17th out of 1,000 global cities across five categories: Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment, and Governance. The Global Cities Index offers a holistic ranking of 1,000 cities in the Global Cities Forecasting Service. It provides a data-driven overview of the attractiveness of city economies based on a diverse

Big Tex at Fair Park. Courtesy State Fair of Texas Big Tex is celebrating a whopping 74 years! To mark the occasion, a historical marker will be raised in honor of the milestone birthday on October 4. For 74 years, Big Tex has stood tall in Big Tex Circle, welcoming fairgoers from all walks of life to the annual State Fair of Texas. The historical marker will now serve as a permanent fixture in Big Tex Circle, highlighting the home of the 55-foot-tall talking cowboy A special

Photo courtesy Shef Food + Wine For the third year, Shef Food + Wine Festival returns to Epic Central with tastes brought to you by seasoned chefs and food industry veterans. It all happens over the weekend of October 9—11. The festival, founded and created by Dallas local and Master Chef Tiffany Derry and T2D Concepts, features more than 40 chefs and a weekend of curated culinary experiences. Shef Food + Wine is a purpose-driven celebration designed to connect people through

Docent dining room. Photo courtesy Harwood Hospitality. Did you hear Dallas has yet another steakhouse coming onto the scene? This one has been in the works for two years and is finally one step closer to opening with a planned open date of October 1. Called Docent, it's a concept from Harwood Hospitality (Stillwell's, Mercat Bistro, Happiest Hour) and is located inside Harwood No. 14 in Dallas' Harwood District. According to a release, Docent brings a fresh take on the class

Passing the Baton A painting assignment JD Miller set for a student, shown beside Miller’s own version of the same subject. Can you tell which is which? Edit: The previous version of this article stated there were eight artists at first mention and nine in later mentions. There are nine artists in the exhibit. Clarifications were made on contributing artists and a general description of the gallery overall at the end of the article. Twenty-five years after JD Miller started b

Forest Theater in South Dallas, for the first time in 50 years, will have its tower lit once again during a celebration event on November 1, 2026. The historic theater has had it's share of famous performances and revamps. Now it's led by the nonprofit Forest Forward, an organization focused on neighborhood revitalization, educational opportunities for kids, and restoration of Forest Theater. Just this past August, there was an unveiling for For The Culture, a public permanen

By #newsfortheculture Staff Soccer stock photo Was the World Cup glass half full or half empty for South Dallas? Derrick Walker opened his presentation to the Pointe South Business Group Monday by essentially asking the room to wrestle with that question — while offering another way to look at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For Walker, founder of Futbol For The Culture, it was the “World’s Cup”: an international event that brought enormous attention and investment to Dallas and Fai

The State Fair of Texas is moving the Chevrolet Main Stage inside Fair Park Coliseum for the 2026 State Fair. The new location will offer fairgoers an indoor, concert-style experience while continuing to provide guests a diverse lineup of live music. For decades, the Main Stage has welcomed legendary performers and rising stars alike, with artists including Selena, Elvis Presley, Destiny’s Child, and Garth Brooks among the many performers who have taken the stage in front of

Labor Day is quickly approaching, so if you were looking for a way to enjoy the long weekend, there's The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) Riverfront Jazz Festival happening September 4-6 at Fair Park. The Riverfront Jazz Festival first began in 2017 after TBAAL President and Founder Curtis King attended a number of jazz festivals across the U.S., including Capital Jazz Festival and a festival in Richmond, Virginia. After some years passed, King says the Visit Dallas

Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas The anticipation for this year's Big Tex Choice winners is over! We now know who can claim the coveted titles in the categories of savory, sweet, best sipper, and most creative. The State Fair of Texas announced winners for the 22nd Annual Big Tex Choice Awards on August 18 after some intensive judging, a press conference, and award announcement and tasting. From a round of 15 finalists, there could ultimately be four winners. The awards

The City of Dallas has announced significant progress on the Community Park at Fair Park, a project that will bring approximately 10.5 acres of new green space, recreational amenities, and community-focused programming to South Dallas. According to a release, Dallas City Council authorized a tax increment financing (TIF) development agreement with the nonprofit Fair Park First. The TIF development agreement will provide up to $3 million in gap funding from the Deep Ellum TIF

The countdown is nearly on for one of Texans' favorite season of the year. Of course, the food is the biggest draw, and to drum up the hype ahead of State Fair season, there's the annual award with some of the most creative foods. The State Fair of Texas has announced finalists for the 22nd Annual Big Tex Choice Awards. Winners will be named on August 18, in the categories of Best Taste – Savory, Best Taste – Sweet, Best Taste – Sipper, and Most Creative. The awards are open

RavenWrites DFW and friends at Electric Shuffle Deep Ellum. Photo courtesy Ted Okoroji Electric Shuffle, the shuffleboard bar and group entertainment hub, recently launched two new games called Studio 21 and The Edge. The games are part of the celebration of the inaugural Global Shuffle Day, which took place on July 25. Dallas actually has a location right here in Deep Ellum, which is where we had a chance to experience the games first hand. It was a fun time for us, especial

A Philly cheesesteak food truck has found a brick-and-mortar home in Fort Worth, just a little more than a year after debuting in the metroplex. Vonte's Philly Cheesesteaks opened in early July in a renovated food hall space called Funky Town Food Hall just south of Downtown Fort Worth, which also features concepts like Wabi House and Share Tea. It was started by restaurant owner Davonte Fung. He wanted to have an authentic cheesesteak in the area. Fung told me I was the very

An old fashioned at Kanvas in Deep Ellum, 2024. Dallas has seen a slate of restaurant closures and announcements, just over the last couple of weeks! What's going on? I know restaurants come and go all the time, especially after spending years reporting on the food scene, but within a few days, I've kept track of about 6 closures. Here's what's going (or has gone) kaput within the past month to the end of this month: Beto and Son One of the original standing Trinity Groves re

Courtesy Mandela: The Official Exhibit You can see the latest global exhibit on display at the African American Museum in Fair Park now through the beginning of November. Mandela: The Official Exhibition is a major exhibition that explores the life of South African President, freedom fighter, and activist Nelson Mandela. His epic story is told across four experiential galleries at the museum — from his rural childhood home through years of turbulent struggle against the apart

Photo courtesy of Electric Shuffle Electric Shuffle, the shuffleboard bar and group entertainment hub, is celebrating the inaugural Global Shuffle Day on July 25. The celebration will feature the launch of two new games: Studio 21 and The Edge. Studio 21 and The Edge are the first new games introduced since Electric Shuffle’s launch in 2021, expanding the roster from four games to six. Dallas actually has a location right here in Deep Ellum. Studio 21 brings blackjack-inspire